Assessments, understood as tools for tracking what and how well students have learned, play a critical role in the classroom. Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards develops an approach to science assessment to meet the vision of science education for the future as it has been elaborated in A Framework for K-12 Science Read more about Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards[…]
Deborah Hofmann, senior editor of the New York Times Best Sellers List, has put together a new list of education books that is sure to raise some eyebrows. Offering an eclectic list that includes books such as Nobel Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, Diane Ravitch’s Reign of Error, Sal Khan’s One World Read more about New York Times: Best Education Books of 2013[…]
The 48th in a series of publications initiated in 1962, the Digest‘s purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to Read more about NCES Releases “Digest of Education Statistics 2012”[…]
Just in time for the New Year, the Department of Education has launched two new education reform resources. Bookshelf is a series of ready-made presentations that highlight numerous focus areas in education. The presentation slide decks present facts, charts, data, and other information reflecting progress and challenges in improving education, as well as ED programs Read more about ED Resources Offer Reform Insights and Help[…]
A new report suggests that principal walkthroughs do not improve student performance. For years, one of the key debates about principalship has been their role in “instructional leadership”. In other words, how much should principals be doing to directly impact student instruction and what exactly should they be doing if it is so important? Principal Read more about Principal walkthroughs: Do they help or hurt?[…]
In a recent blog post, Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and the Economy explains how fundamental changes in the way schools are managed could both attract better teachers and enable them to do their best work. Tucker’s blog post was motivated by the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Read more about PISA On the Teacher as Professional[…]
The new mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, the city’s first Democratic mayor since 1993, won his election in a landslide victory, gaining over 73% of the vote. His election means that there will be a traditional liberal, and one who has been outspoken about education issues, taking charge of one of the Read more about Duncan’s advice to de Blasio[…]
How can school districts build a large corps of highly qualified principals? Making sure that would-be principals get the right training is one step; providing new principals with plenty of support is another. A new report describes what those two steps look like in six urban school districts working to build larger pools of strong Read more about Principal Training and Support in Six School Districts[…]
A groundbreaking new policy guide provides state lawmakers and education advocates with a blueprint for practical changes to improve teaching quality in America — one of the most critical factors to support student success. The guide recommends research-based policies and state models that have been highly effective in developing and sustaining talented and diverse teaching Read more about Excellent Teachers for Each and Every Child[…]
Pearson Education has used its Efficacy Tool in its consultations with clients for years. Now the Efficacy Tool is available online in an interactive version for districts, schools, and others looking to evaluate the efficacy of tools, apps, hardware, and programs. This interactive tool asks 12 questions to help a planning team explore what efficacy Read more about Pearson offers Interactive Efficacy Tool[…]
How can we extend the reach of our most effective teachers? Are there ways to restructure their time, role, and pay in order to allow these teachers to interact with more students? In this month’s issue brief, we focus on new ideas for restructuring the role of teachers to allow the very best to “touch” Read more about January Issue Brief: Teacher “Reach”[…]
Education Week recently conducted two very helpful interviews with prominent members of Congress who deal with education, one from each side of the aisle. These interviews allow Rep. George Miller, D-California and Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota to offer their predictions on the education agenda for Congress in 2014. Although Kline, the Republican, is more optimistic Read more about What will Congress do on Education this year?[…]
Many teachers are taking part in the increasing number of Gates-funded teacher organizations, while others remain skeptical. These organizations, such as Teach Plus and VIVA Project, are providing teachers with a unique chance to discuss education policies, but many teachers outside these organizations question the authenticity of these dialogues because of the influence of conservative-leaning Read more about The Gates Foundation and the Dilemma of Teacher Voice[…]
In just over a year from now, the vast majority of states are planning to transition to Common Core-aligned assessments. This transition is a crucial step in fully implementing the new standards, as these assessments will measure the extent to which students are mastering the content and skills embedded in the standards-something most current state Read more about A Primer on Common Core-Aligned Assessments[…]
With Common Core implementation imminent or underway, questions remain about the extent to which state education officials and teachers support Common Core and are working toward its implementation. Even among those who agree on the importance of Common Core, there is disagreement about how quickly tests aligned with Common Core should be implemented. One side, Read more about The Pace of Common Core Implementation[…]
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released a new report arguing that teacher training programs don’t do enough to prepare new teachers for classroom management. Based on syllabi that NCTQ procured from various teacher training programs, they found that a supposedly integrated classroom management curriculum across classes and student teaching is often a Read more about Teachers in Training Don’t Learn Classroom Management[…]